With big rowing gig, a big to-do list

BENDERSON: Local park landed the 2017 Worlds. Now the real work begins.

By JUSTINE GRIFFIN

Published: Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 9:54 p.m.

Rowing boosters from across Southwest Florida celebrated winning the 2017 World Rowing Championships at Nathan Benderson Park on Wednesday, while acknowledging that there is still much to be done.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is money: Some $15 million still needs to be raised prior to the championships for the construction of a boathouse and other structures around the lake.

That job will fall largely to Paul Blackketter and staff at the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, a nonprofit that operates Benderson Park.

At the same time, local tourism officials will be rallying area hoteliers to prepare for the influx of international visitors.

"The world is coming to Sarasota-Bradenton," Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta said. "And not just for the championships in 2017. They will be training here and coming to scope out our facilities. We need to be prepared for that."

Tourism leaders say they are wasting no time.

"We are working to get everything in place with the hotels this week," said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, the county's tourism agency. "We have an official housing bureau working with us and would like to get a booking website up this week."

All hotels and condominiums in the region will be booked through HBC Event Services, a third-party coordinator.

"It's a common way to handle reservations for big events like these," said Nick Mavrikas, general manager of a 97-room Comfort Suites, which opened in Sarasota in February. "The hotels pay a fee and the company books rooms based on the amenities and number of rooms a team or a coach needs."

The HBC booking website will go live even though an official date for the 10-day tournament has not been selected yet.

Although he expects some international athletes to start booking early, Mavrikas says the bulk of the reservations likely will not come until one year to six months before the regatta.

Nearly 3,000 rooms

As part of a bid package submitted this year to the International Federation of Rowing Associations, or FISA, nearly 3,000 hotel rooms would be available in Sarasota and Manatee counties for the championships.

Rooms will rent from $74 per person per night to $279 per person per night, and include breakfast and dinner, said Nicole Rissler, director of sports with Visit Sarasota County.

Still, tourism officials anticipate some teams will want to be proactive.

"Some of the more high-profile teams will book very early, even now, just to start planning," Haley said. "That way they can ensure they get the space they want."

At the Country Inn & Suites, in Bradenton, hotel staff are already blocking out rooms for the championships, which will draw more than 42,000 spectators and athletes to the region.

"We've never experienced bookings more than eight months out," said Paul Patel, general manager of the hotel. "But we've experienced an event as big as this."

Benderson Development Co., which has been spearheading rowing efforts, also is building a pair of hotels near the park and its Mall at University Town Center that is slated to open in October 2014.

One of the hotels will open shortly after the 880,000-square-foot mall debuts, while another will likely be completed in 2015, said Mark Chait, Benderson's director of leasing for the Southeast.

The two hotels will contain about 280 rooms.

But tourism promoters are focused on more than just athlete accommodations.

"These athletes eat 5,000 calories a day. Their diet is very important to them and we have to make sure we provide meals that are up to their standards," Haley said.

At the Comfort Suites, which provides complimentary continental breakfasts, the hotel is already thinking about upgrading its culinary offerings.

"We need to start coming up with which chef or which restaurant we want to work with to provide these services," Mavrikas said.

<p>Rowing boosters from across Southwest Florida celebrated winning the 2017 World Rowing Championships at Nathan Benderson Park on Wednesday, while acknowledging that there is still much to be done.</p><p>Perhaps the biggest hurdle is money: Some $15 million still needs to be raised prior to the championships for the construction of a boathouse and other structures around the lake.</p><p>That job will fall largely to Paul Blackketter and staff at the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, a nonprofit that operates Benderson Park.</p><p>At the same time, local tourism officials will be rallying area hoteliers to prepare for the influx of international visitors.</p><p>"The world is coming to Sarasota-Bradenton," Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta said. "And not just for the championships in 2017. They will be training here and coming to scope out our facilities. We need to be prepared for that."</p><p>Tourism leaders say they are wasting no time.</p><p>"We are working to get everything in place with the hotels this week," said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, the county's tourism agency. "We have an official housing bureau working with us and would like to get a booking website up this week."</p><p>All hotels and condominiums in the region will be booked through HBC Event Services, a third-party coordinator.</p><p>"It's a common way to handle reservations for big events like these," said Nick Mavrikas, general manager of a 97-room Comfort Suites, which opened in Sarasota in February. "The hotels pay a fee and the company books rooms based on the amenities and number of rooms a team or a coach needs."</p><p>The HBC booking website will go live even though an official date for the 10-day tournament has not been selected yet.</p><p>Although he expects some international athletes to start booking early, Mavrikas says the bulk of the reservations likely will not come until one year to six months before the regatta.</p><p>Nearly 3,000 rooms</p><p>As part of a bid package submitted this year to the International Federation of Rowing Associations, or FISA, nearly 3,000 hotel rooms would be available in Sarasota and Manatee counties for the championships.</p><p>Rooms will rent from $74 per person per night to $279 per person per night, and include breakfast and dinner, said Nicole Rissler, director of sports with Visit Sarasota County.</p><p>Still, tourism officials anticipate some teams will want to be proactive.</p><p>"Some of the more high-profile teams will book very early, even now, just to start planning," Haley said. "That way they can ensure they get the space they want."</p><p>At the Country Inn & Suites, in Bradenton, hotel staff are already blocking out rooms for the championships, which will draw more than 42,000 spectators and athletes to the region.</p><p>"We've never experienced bookings more than eight months out," said Paul Patel, general manager of the hotel. "But we've experienced an event as big as this."</p><p>Benderson Development Co., which has been spearheading rowing efforts, also is building a pair of hotels near the park and its Mall at University Town Center that is slated to open in October 2014.</p><p>One of the hotels will open shortly after the 880,000-square-foot mall debuts, while another will likely be completed in 2015, said Mark Chait, Benderson's director of leasing for the Southeast.</p><p>The two hotels will contain about 280 rooms.</p><p>But tourism promoters are focused on more than just athlete accommodations.</p><p>"These athletes eat 5,000 calories a day. Their diet is very important to them and we have to make sure we provide meals that are up to their standards," Haley said.</p><p>At the Comfort Suites, which provides complimentary continental breakfasts, the hotel is already thinking about upgrading its culinary offerings.</p><p>"We need to start coming up with which chef or which restaurant we want to work with to provide these services," Mavrikas said.</p>